Around the home, garage, farm or ranch, there has been a long-felt need for a simple and effective device to identify the contents of a can or bottle. For example, does a gas can contain regular gas or a gas-oil mixture? If a mixture, is it 20:1 or 50:1? If a can or tank contains a previously mixed chemical used in farming or gardening, is it fertilizer, herbicide, pesticide, fungicide, or something else? With respect to engines or motors that use different weight oil in different seasons of the year, is the current oil 10 weight, 30 weight, or multi-viscosity, and when is it due for change?
Thus, it can be readily appreciated that there are numerous situations, often occurring daily, that require accurate identification of the contents of a container. If the contents of a container are misidentified the consequences could, at the very least, be bothersome, and at the worst, catastrophic.
Furthermore, temporarily marking a container with pen, chalk, crayon, etc. is not good practice. For example, the contents of the container may be changed, but the prior contents indication may still be observable. Stick-on labels or tape can become detached or unreadable.
The present invention is directed to overcoming the problems set forth above. It is desirable to have a simple and inexpensive device for selectively identifying the contents of a container or a specific condition of an article. Specifically, it is desirable to have such a device that by the very position at which it is attached to a container or article will, by and in itself, readily identify what is in the container or status of the article.
Importantly, it is also desirable to have a device for indicating one or more characteristics of a container or article that can be selectively reattached in a different position if either the contents of the container change or if the device itself is moved to a container having contents different from that previously identified.